Chapter 33: The Price of Freedom

“You scum, you don’t deserve to be called ‘Senior’ by Guan Qing.”

Xie Xu looked at him with an arrogant and contemptuous gaze.

“You…!”

Ye Zi took a step forward, the smile fading from his face. Their eyes met, and in a silent agreement, Ye Zi reached out for the glass bottle in Xie Xu’s hand. Xie Xu, however, leaned back, dodging his grasp.

Xie Xu was incredibly weak at that moment, relying on pain to barely maintain his composure. Such defiance of instinct was incredibly draining.

Indeed, the glass bottle was quickly snatched away by Ye Zi.

Yet, Ye Zi caught a glimpse of a mocking smile playing on Xie Xu’s lips.

The next second, Xie Xu dangled something in his hand, shaking it at Ye Zi—Ye Zi’s USB drive.

“You still keep important things close to you. That habit hasn’t changed, has it?”

Ye Zi was a man both cautious and arrogant.

Therefore, all his crucial belongings were always placed closest to himself—the place he considered safest.

Ye Zi’s expression turned utterly cold. “You won’t escape.”

They were on a bridge over a river, with turbulent waters on both sides. Just as Ye Zi reached out to grab him, Xie Xu leaned back, pushed off the bank, and plummeted backward from the bridge.

Xie Xu’s eyes were playful and mocking. In that fleeting second, against the twilight, Xie Xu seemed to glow in Ye Zi’s eyes. His entire body hung suspended in the winter evening wind, the hem of his trench coat billowing upwards, making him look less like he was falling and more like he was soaring.

Like a free bird in the dusk.

Ye Zi had seen that posture once before, in another person.

Ye Zi vaguely wondered, ‘Who was it… free, unrestrained, unbound?’ It was that brief glimpse that had sparked in him longing, admiration, and even a twisted desire. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What if I were to break this bird’s wings?’

Ah, right. It was Guan Qing.

Ye Zi snapped back to reality. He walked to the railing, watching Xie Xu fall with his back to the river.

Xie Xu looked at him, smiling as he raised the USB drive in his hand, much like someone unhurriedly raising a glass at a banquet. Xie Xu said something, and Ye Zi clearly read his lips:

“I won.”

****

Ye Zi stared at the spot where Xie Xu had vanished.

Only after he had the glass bottle in his hand did he realize—it wasn’t sauce at all, but merely a bottle of ink. Because it was late evening, it had appeared dark brown.

His face was utterly grim.

Finally, Ye Zi averted his gaze and adjusted his collar. He forced a smile and murmured,

“It’s just a USB drive.”

Xie Xu knew he was arrogant, but he should also know he was cautious. He would never put all his important things on a single USB drive.

‘Putting all your wealth in one place, pouring all your love into one person… those are foolish acts. And yet, there are always so many misguided people around me. Guan Qing, Xie Xu, Jiang Lu, and even Wang Yun—all of them are fools.’

Ye Zi shook his head and walked towards his car. At least for now, Guan Qing was in his hands.

However, upon seeing his own car, Ye Zi froze.

He stared in disbelief at the open rear car door; the interior was empty. The Porsche’s door had been scratched several times with a key, leaving the entire car disfigured. Scrawled on it were the words—

“Fool.”

Childish yet arrogant—Xie Xu’s style.

The lens of his glasses had cracked into several pieces. Under the light, each shard reflected Ye Zi’s face, contorted with rage and humiliation.

****

“In a renowned international psychology thesis competition, a researcher from our country has won first prize for their thesis. However, the researcher, Mr. Guan, is suspected of plagiarism. What exactly happened? Let’s connect with Mr. Guan’s recommending professor…”

“He’s a particularly bright and perceptive child, and very hardworking. Moreover, the competition notice came late, and other students didn’t have time to prepare—oh, right, Mr. Guan isn’t a student at our university; he only audited a few classes—so I recommended him. I never expected this child to stray from the right path… Yes, I was wrong. I didn’t examine it carefully and allowed someone with an improper mindset to exploit the loophole.”

Guan Qing opened his eyes amidst the cacophony.

He vaguely heard the TV discussing something related to him. But when he fully awoke, the TV was broadcasting the weather forecast:

“Typhoon Haiyan is expected to hit our city this week. Residents are advised to take precautionary measures in advance and avoid going out during the typhoon.”

He shook his head.

His mind was still hazy. He tried to recall what happened before he fainted. He had learned about his thesis from Professor Wang, after which Xie Qing’s company fell into financial crisis. He went to find Xie Xu, but they had an argument, and then…

Xie Xu, just like last time, had once again used his coercive presence to hurt him.

Guan Qing’s heart instantly grew cold.

But there were still many details he couldn’t understand. For instance, why was Ye Zi there? What was Xie Xu saying in the end? And why was Xie Xu so against him applying for Professor Wang’s postgraduate program?

Was Xie Xu merely afraid that he would improve?

And where did Xie Xu’s intense insecurity truly come from? There were too many loose ends, a thousand threads intertwined.

Guan Qing was currently at his own home. Ye Zi must have brought him back, but Ye Zi always left small notes. This time, however, he searched for a long time but found nothing. Guan Qing pulled open the curtains, wanting some fresh air, only to suddenly discover a crowd of people outside.

The group held cameras, microphones, and other equipment; they were reporters.

Guan Qing froze.

Just then, someone knocked on his door, shouting, “Is Mr. Guan Qing living here? Can you explain the plagiarism allegations?”

‘This shouldn’t be happening.’ Guan Qing panicked; he had never seen such a scene before.

Psychology was a niche field of study. Although the award carried significant weight and plagiarism was indeed serious, the public’s reaction shouldn’t be this extreme, even involving so many mainstream media outlets. Either someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, or…

Guan Qing’s palms grew sweaty as he scrolled through Weibo.

Indeed, Xie Xu had reposted the trending plagiarism news, stating: “No one is speaking up for him, so I will. First, let me state that Guan Qing absolutely did not commit any acts of plagiarism. Furthermore, I am making all judgments from the perspective of an observer, not a lover. Evidence is being further compiled, and a press conference will be held shortly.”

The original Weibo post was a brief interview, the very one he had vaguely heard moments ago.

Professor Wang in that video seemed utterly unfamiliar. He wore an expression of profound regret, his face incredibly expressive, portraying the image of a kind, benevolent old professor who had been deceived, completely unlike his usual cold, serious, and decisive demeanor when facing Guan Qing. Guan Qing tried calling him, but couldn’t get through.

All his research materials were in Professor Wang’s hands. Because Ye Zi had introduced them, and due to Professor Wang’s status, Guan Qing had held nothing back from him.

Thus, it would have been incredibly easy for Professor Wang to steal one of his theses. Guan Qing checked; the published author of the thesis in that journal was a Japanese scholar who had once studied under Professor Wang.

It both slandered him and benefited Professor Wang—killing two birds with one stone.

Guan Qing dragged a chair to block the door, then tossed his phone onto the floor, curling up on the floor himself. His home was a small rented room, receiving little sunlight each day, only a small patch. At this moment, Guan Qing curled up on that small sunlit patch of floor, hugging himself.

Loss, disappointment, regret.

His soul seemed to detach and hover in mid-air, calmly scrutinizing himself, carefully dissecting all his emotions. He discovered that amidst all the negative feelings, he actually harbored a trace of—relief.

Professor Wang was not a good person.

‘Does this mean…’

‘Xie Xu wasn’t acting out of worry, jealousy, or possessiveness, but to protect me?’

‘Could I even be so conceited as to believe that a large part of what Xie Xu hid was because of this?’

Xie Xu probably didn’t want him to know the truth; he wanted to help him maintain his self-esteem.

But he wasn’t that fragile, actually.

Moreover, compared to his career and achievements, he was more willing to… embrace the one he loved.

But Xie Xu had never understood him.

They tried so hard to love each other, so hard to reach out, yet they still missed each other again and again, unable to find the right way.

Guan Qing stared at his phone, at Xie Xu’s Weibo post that had been retweeted countless times, his vision gradually blurring.

The time he had been asleep was precisely when the rumors were wildly fermenting. Everyone was extremely familiar with the name ‘Guan Qing,’ especially given Xie Xu’s status. There were undoubtedly many envious and jealous people. Guan Qing casually scrolled through; there was every kind of comment online, some even Photoshopped his picture into a black-and-white photo to curse him, filled with all sorts of vicious words.

Anonymous networks always exposed the dark corners hidden in reality. He had always known this, but he had never adapted to it.

And it was at this time, when almost everyone was cursing him, that Xie Xu stepped forward.

Plagiarism, in this era, was such a sensitive topic. What’s more, the internet was full of evidence and irrefutable proof of plagiarism; not a single person supported Guan Qing.

Xie Xu was so good.

But Xie Xu also…

He recalled the look in Xie Xu’s eyes before he fainted. Xie Xu’s madness, Xie Xu’s despair, Xie Xu’s pain.

‘Would being together only make them both more miserable?’

Guan Qing felt his heart being gently torn, and it did hurt, but that feeling of being carefully cherished made it difficult to be wary.

He couldn’t pick it up, yet he couldn’t let it go.

Guan Qing was incredibly conflicted.

“Xie Xu, I…”

‘I don’t want to miss you.’

Guan Qing admitted he was narrow-minded. He had exposed his entire self to Xie Xu: the glamorous, the brilliant, the beautiful, and naturally, also the dark, the humble, the parts he didn’t want to show others.

What he gave Xie Xu was the complete Guan Qing.

He wasn’t unafraid, afraid of being scorned or disliked by Xie Xu.

No one could frankly face an imperfect self. But… Xie Xu had taught him to confront, to accept, to love himself.

No matter what kind of self.

One must first learn to embrace oneself before they can open their arms to others.

But why, when it came to himself, did Xie Xu recoil?

Guan Qing curled up on the floor, thinking over and over again, until the shouts outside the door faded, until the people gathered at the entrance dispersed. The sunlight on him also receded. Guan Qing pushed open the window and looked at the heavy sky—

It was going to rain.

“Beep—Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Guan Qing held his phone, a sudden, terrible premonition washing over him.

Xie Xu… why wasn’t he answering the phone?

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